How Do We Get Out of This Labyrinth of Suffering?
by labyrinthofsuffering11
Summary: Post Doomsday for Doctor Who, post first Wizarding War for Harry Potter. Remus Lupin was in such a sorry state after losing all of his friends, he was thinking about drinking himself to death. But then a mysterious man called the Doctor shows up in his flat, and tells him just how much his life is worth living for.


Remus Lupin did not care one bit if he lived or died. All three of his best friends were gone in the matter of a week. First James, then Peter, and now Sirius. Sirius…

Perhaps, he was the most depressed over his best friend Sirius Black. He had thought he was the most loyal out of all of them. His Animagus was a dog for Merlin's sake! But it turns out, he was wrong. They were ALL wrong.

Remus had picked up 3 bottles of the strongest scotch from the Muggle liquor store at the end of his street. He stumbled into his flat, not bothering with the lights. Who needs lights when they're dead anyways?

He flopped onto his couch, carefully pulling a bottle from it's brown paper wrapping. He unscrewed the lid and chugged a quarter of the bottle in one go. He winced from the taste. That was more revolting than Firewhiskey.

Remus settled himself upon the pillows, staring at the ceiling.

"_And what are you doing this for, mate?_" he pictured James saying right now.

"Because you're gone," he whispered to the empty room.

"_He killed me,_" Peter moaned to him.

"I know, I'm sorry!" Remus called out. "There was nothing I could do."

"_I wish I had your smarts, Rem. And your looks, too,_" Sirius winked from the chair in the corner.

"You're a liar!" Remus shouted angrily. He threw the bottle across the room, only for it to crash against the empty wall.

He sighed, and pulled himself off the couch. He walked over to the spot and said, "_Aguamenti,_" causing the smell of alcohol and the color to get out of his carpet.

"I'm a right mess," he muttered to himself.

"That you are," a voice sounded from his kitchen.

Remus Lupin jumped two feet off the ground, and turned to face the intruder. "Who are you?" he asked the strange man. He was going to pretend he wasn't sad that it wasn't a Death Eater.

"I'm the Doctor," he said.

"Oh, great. Sent them after me already has he? Good old Dumbledore," he muttered.

"What? Sorry, what? Who's Dumbledore?" the man asked.

"The Headmaster, at Hogwarts?" Lupin asked, like the Doctor was crazy.

"Oh! Yes. Hold on, I've landed in the Wizarding World?" he asked.

"Okay, so you're definitely not a doctor, you're talking rubbish."

"I am too a doctor! Just not that kind."

"Wait," Remus said, "You said landed. How can you have landed?"

"With my ship," the Doctor said proudly.

"Ship? Like one that sails in the ocean?" he asked.

The Doctor rolled his eyes. "No. My spaceship."

"I'm sorry, you're...what? Spaceship? Now I've drinken too much," Remus laughed.

"No, it's true! Want to come and see?" The man's eyes lit up with excitement.

Remus looked at this man called the Doctor. He only looked a few years older than him, but like he had seen so much more. His hair was brown and all messy, reminding him of James. He was wearing a brown pinstripe suit with a tan trenchcoat over top. On his feet were white, beat-up converse.

He cleared his throat. "Interesting choice of dress."

The Doctor looked offended. "Like yours is much better! Mr...what did you say your name was again?"

"I didn't," Remus replied. "And it's Lupin, Remus Lupin."

The man's face paled. He looked at his watch, then around Remus' apartment, then at the bottles of scotch on the couch.

"Having a party?" he asked hopefully.

Remus turned bright red. "Er, actually. I was...going to drink them all myself."

"Are you insane!?" the Doctor thundered, "Do you realize that drinking that much alcohol-oh. You do realize, don't you? That's what you planned."

Remus' face got redder. "Maybe," he mumbled.

"What can be so bad?" he asked. "What about those friends of yours: Peter, James, and Sirius?" He clapped a hand over his mouth.

"How do you know about them?" Remus asked suspiciously. A dark look passed over his face and he stormed towards the man, with his wand jabbing him squarely in the chest. "Are you with the Death Eaters? Or this a sick joke?"

The Doctor held up his hands in surrender. "I...it was my mistake. I'm sorry, I'm so sorry. It must be after they died."

"Sirius might as well have," Remus muttered.

The man slapped his cheek again. "I have got to stop doing that. Anyway, Remus Lupin, you should not drink yourself to death. Not ever."

"Why not? Everything I love is gone!"

"Oh, well. Maybe right now. Maybe everything seems lost. But the war is over, right? Harry defeated Voldemort?"

Remus flinched.

"Really? You too?" The Doctor scrunched his nose in confusion. "Honestly, Daleks are worse. Anyways, you'll see Harry again someday. He'll be much older. You'll be a teacher. They'll all love you. And then love will follow soon after, and even a child."

Remus stumbled back, wand still clutched in hand. "How do you know that?"

"I'm a Time Lord, from the planet Gallifrey, and I have seen it happen. All of it."

"Really?" he breathed. "Can you show me?"

"Can't cross your own timelines."

"What about Harry? When he's grown up, will he look like...like his-?" Remus choked on the last word, tears welling in his eyes.

The Doctor patted his back awkwardly. "Yes, he'll look exactly like his father, but he has more of his mother's personality, I think."

Remus chuckled at that. "Something to be thankful for."

"We all have things to live for, Remus Lupin. Remember that." The Doctor shook his hand and vanished as quickly as he had gone, leaving Remus standing in his living room, with a dumbfounded look on his face.

If what the Doctor had said was true...a grown up Harry, so much like his mother and father; love; a teaching profession, hopefully in Defense; and a child someday. Maybe Harry could be godfather.


End file.
